Alone Again
by Abah
Summary: "I thought you're still here, sweetheart."
1. It Was A Bad Day

Maine in November can be freezing. The situation is getting worse, either way, making everything seems impossible to finish from the start. Lucio saw a human-made statue made from drumsticks; stacked up to look like a house of cards, but slightly different and taller. He remembers the monument; it was his masterpiece when it comes to stacking sticks competition when he's still living with someone who loved him so much. Many years of ups and downs they roam, it ended because one simple thing, and he had to start all over again from scratch. Anyone who is in a relationship or just broke up knew how hard to maintain trust. Lucio did his very best to do so, but, in the end, he's just the one that needs to blame.

Walking down the street aimlessly with classic hip-hop on his headset about loneliness as shaggy snowflakes began to pour down from the skies gently, rubbing Lucio's cheeks and then down to the ground. Only a thin jacket, a wool hat, and a worn-out boot that keep him warm, but even with such clothing, the winter struck him with its best shot. He looked at the window; there are two gold necklaces with a small chunk of emerald decorate the whole thing, and one diamond ring in the middle of the storefront. Lucio looked at his bank account and knew that he had enough money to buy the whole set, but the postponed it and continue walking as if the necklaces and the ring are never displayed. Many people greeted him and wished him for a Merry Christmas, although it isn't December. He walked on the pavement, covered in snow and dim streetlights and stopped at a coffee shop.

He sat down and ordered a latte. "Waiter, could you please give me two glazed doughnuts, if available?" he asked the waiter.

The waiter replied and wrote it down on the bill. "Sure, sir," he then asked. "Is there anything I can help you?"

"No, that'd be enough."

"Okay, we will bring your order as fast as we could." The waiter said while running back to his post.

He turned on his laptop and started to make an instrumental beat for his new song that hasn't yet released to the public; for a famous DJ like him, to escape celebrity status and to live like the commoners around the world seems like a distant memory. Somehow, he managed. Thirty minutes passed, and he paid for the snack and went home quickly before he got hypothermia. He opened the front door and immediately went to his recording room, where Hana and him always hanging out and playing games together; now empty and emotionless, the place became a silent witness to their warm relationship. Full of joy and happiness. Soullessly sitting down in his recording room, he decided to browse random funny posts around the net, laughing his socks off for hours and hours. He found the most humorous video on the net and couldn't stop laughing at it.

Lucio turned around with his seat. "Yo, Hana, check this thing out, you've got to..."He stopped.

 _Ah, I thought she was still here._

 _It has been four years, ups and downs - a lot of it; now it's just emptiness._

He let out a sigh and stood up from his stool and went to the living room, he locked the door and tried to forget everything happened in that part of the house. He watched the TV and found Hana already with someone else and maintaining their life and rumoured to get married soon; upon hearing this, Lucio could only shut the telly up and walk his way to the fridge and took a carton of milk and looked at the night sky while chugging the milk carton. Air horns can be heard from two blocks away and kids cheering about Christmas began to wailed through the neighbourhood, it put a smile on Lucio's face, but it always Hana's laugh that he can't forget, Hana's aggressive approach against newbies and alike, and Hana's warmth that stuck with him.


	2. Someone to Hold Myself Into

The house stood emotionless as Hana look to the window in front of her. The new relationship she thought to be fruitful, happy and balanced now serves as her living hell. She lived with her new boyfriend in Augusta, far away from where Lucio used to live. The snowstorm is getting bigger, and Hana is in danger of getting trapped with her boyfriend in his house. She took small steps towards her bedroom to get some rest, forgetting all that happened between her and Vaughan. She opened the door cautiously and began to sit down on her desktop table, looking at the abandoned gaming gears that she used to share with Lucio. Dust covered her gaming gear and her memories thicker than snow to cover the ground. She turned on her desk lamp and looking in the mirror to see that her long hair is no longer. The sharp cut gave a horrid impression of Vaughan that he doesn't like long-haired girls, he didn't care what Hana said or told him about she don't want to get her life controlled, but every conversation ended with a slap so hard that puts Hana on the ground crying. Hana saw her past. A chained, dusty gaming gear with all of its peripherals either damaged or completely broke in two, shattered LCD monitor, and dented CPU casing. She could see that the liquid cooler planted inside the CPU is leaking and damaging everything inside. Maine indeed freezing in November, and the freeze froze Hana's heart for Lucio's warmth, without Vaughan's knowledge and holding her tears and muffled sobbings, Hana unlocked her phone and found that her smartphone's wallpaper still unchanged - untouched for weeks. She held the phone and pressed it to her chest, a sign that she's longing for Lucio's warmth. Hana turned her attention to a small drawer on the corner of the room, and walks towards it; found her pistol resting there - have enough bullet to kill few people, maybe five to seven people. She hides the gun under her overcoat, and she asked Vaughan to get some fresh air and to buy some snacks for tonight's dinner. Even covered in coat and a thick jacket, the freeze still froze her bones. She walks under the dim streetlights and surrounded by the bright lights of sidewalk premium stores. She stopped at one clothing store and looked at the windowpane. A reflection of her can be seen vividly, not a joyful one. Hana leaned to a street lamp post, and an imagery of Lucio began to appear as she drowned in her tears.

A man walks by and comforts her. "I may not know you, and you might not know me, but I feel something depressive about your face and emotions." He hugged her tightly. "I hope I provide you with enough warmth to overcome this hellish snowstorm, which you shouldn't go outside and will likely to harm you. I apologize if I invade your comfort zone, little girl."

Hana shook her head. "No, sir," she said while holding the old man's arm. "I need warmth. I need someone to hug me and to take a good care of me."

He rubbed Hana's hairs. "Alright, then," he then put Hana's head onto his shoulder. "I shall give you warmth until you're feeling sleepy. I live across the road if you need a bed and a couple of glasses of milk," he added. "Well, not too sleepy, that'd be not very good for you and your body warmth."

Hana smiled towards the man. "Thank you, kindly sir. I am sure that I stopped by."

"Don't mention it." He smiled. "I'll make you some dinner, how about that?"

"I think I need to fill up my belly, so, yeah."

Hana followed the man to his house; they did not speak upon arriving on the home's front porch. He opened the door, and Hana couldn't contain her happiness after she saw a bunch of candies, Mountain Dew, and Doritos all over the place. The man did not know what makes her excited, but he knows that a little snack could put a girl's heart melting like cheese on a stove.

He introduced. "I'm Gregor, people know me as Good Gramps Gregor. I live all by myself since my wife passed away several decades ago," Gregor continued. "Since her death, I can never love again, but to love people and help them as much as I can is the only thing I can do."

Hana hugged the old man. "Aww, poor you, old man." She looked at him with curiosity. "Why don't you adopt babies or stray children who wander the street?"

Old Man Gregor took out a bottle of light beer. "Hana, I know that to adopt children I need to struggle harder and with my severe illness, I could not do that unless there is someone who wants to help an old man to take care a baby, though."

Hana frowned. "What... how did you know my name? We've just met across the road, and I've just met you."

Gregor smiled. "It's Lucio." He recalled. "He's the one who is helping me all day, he just left several minutes ago, and he told me a lot about you."

"How did you know Lucio?"

He recalled. "This is his old house, where he used to live with his mother before moved out to your house down the C Block." Gregor looked at the ceiling. "Lucio... he's one hell of a bastard when it comes to preserving a house and its furniture." Gregor took another sip of light beer. "Sometimes, he went to bed here and cooked breakfast for me," Gregor whispered. "He ain't good with cooking. I always suggest him to stay at his music business and entertain people, not burn down my kitchen."

Hana let out a giggle. "Wish I knew it earlier."

Gregor let out a fatherly sigh. "Still, he's the friendliest guy I've ever encountered," he nodded to Hana. "This house was given to me by him when he moved out. Ever since his parents died, he only thinks about me as his unofficial adoptive dad/grandpa and you..." He took a brief pause. "As his beloved wife, although you guys haven't married yet." He recalled. "I remember one day he said that he's going to beat you in a game of cards, but then Lucio starts to talk about your future with him, though," he scratched his head. "I'm not entirely sure about that, but that's what I heard."


	3. Repairing the Hare

Hana stood near the window, overlooking the street that seems holds plenty of memories. Observing people from above is not something she likes and is not something she does for a living, she angered like a little girl. "Why I should look at them in jealousy?! Why I have these emotions?!"

Gregor light up a cigarette, an old one. "Hana, my dear, even if you broke his heart; do give him a call," He smoked like a badass. "He'll give you one more chance to repair everything."

Hana began to tap several numbers and immediately put her phone onto her ears. "Please answer me, damn it," she angered a little. "Argh, come on!"

 _Hello? Hana? What's wrong?_ He answered. _I'm in the middle of my concert here; we'll talk later, okay?_ He replied and hung up the phone.

Hana walked back and forth in the bedroom. "No! Hey! Wait up!" the phone is hung up, and Hana began to cry, _again_. "Damn it, Gregor."

Gregor put out his cigarette and walked towards her slowly, comforted her like a father to his daughter. "Calm down, Hana. You're calling him in his worst moment, let's wait for him to call you back, and you guys can talk, okay?"

The bedroom feels emotionless for Hana as she began to fell asleep in Gregor's arms, the clock strikes eleven o'clock, and the snow is endlessly pouring down from the skies. Gregor keeps his hands rubbing Hana's hairs, it's smooth as silk, and it's so fragrant. As a former hairdresser himself. _Lucio is one lucky bastard to have this Korean girl, her hairs so smooth that you can mess it up with one finger, but most is you can style this hair to pretty much anything._ He inspected Hana's hairs and its contours. _This hair has been cut roughly, can't say that Vaughan fellow is an abusive man; even when the riches descended from the heavens... at least for his family._ Then, the phone vibrates slowly.

 _Hana, you there, girl?_ Lucio asked.

Gregor replied. "I'm sorry, Lucio, but she's sleeping now," he continued. "Well, if you like to say something, I'll make sure she gets it."

 _Uncle, can I stay at your house for one or two weeks?_ He asked.

Gregor replied with a worried look while rubbing Hana's hairs. "You can always live here, Lucio. Hana's in a rough patch, it seems," he added. "I can't describe it; you'd better come here quick."

 _What happened?! Tell me, Uncle, right now!_ Lucio angered.

He sighed. "You know that boy Vaughan that tries to marry her? I think she had a run in with him; you'd better check this up."

 _I'll be there real quick, Uncle._ He said and hung up the phone.


	4. Restarting the Game I

The Brazilian Frog gave a brief look to his beautiful Pink Rabbit. The Pink Rabbit's body lies asleep on the Gramps' bed, with bruises along her curvaceous waist and several others around her beautiful face, it seems only takes one consecutive hit in the skull to make her life a little more miserable. Without command, Gramps Gregor immediately left the room and the two loving teenagers alone. With hatred and anger building up inside his body and mind, he wants to end all of this nonsense. Hana knows that even she likes to destroy players in-game, she doesn't tolerate physical harm lightly. No one has been up for a walk in Maine when snowing, and it is indeed freezing. The snow that has accumulated for a few days now shoved to prevent any car accidents.

Lucio touched her gently. "Hana..." he said somewhat with a fatherly tone. "Wake up a little bit, would you?"

Hana immediately wakes up. "Lucio..." she hugged him without throwing any single word.

"Vaughan's a bitch, right?" Lucio smiled, trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah, he's the bitchiest of the bitchiest. He treats me like a slave, you know what I mean, right?"

Lucio frowned. "What? Really?" He smiled and kissed the Bunny on the forehead. "He's a bitch, indeed."

Hana smiled and giggled. "Now I know why I choose you first, Lucio. You suck at games, but you nailed my heart." She leant to the Frog. "What's your pick-up line, again?"

He let out an exasperated sigh, yet willingly to do so. "You know... I've played and heard a lot of music, but you're always my favourite Song."

Hana blushed. "Aww, that is very sweet of you!" she winked. "Winky face!" She lowered her tone. "Vaughan stacked a lot of cheddar, but his head is messier than our house, you know?"

Lucio raised an eyebrow. "Tell me more about him, would you?"

That night covered in a blanket, the Bunny and the Frog talks a lot about Vaughan. Hana's first impression of him, his first reaction to Hana, how they treated each other, and many many things that lead to Hana's hair getting cut and her PC smashed to bits, not to mention a lot of bruises on her body. Under cover of darkness the Frog light up the light and it's so dim that the situation began to like those shown in TV and movies. Slowly, Hana fell into another slumber, and her eyes began to shut as Lucio rubbed her hairs. Both fell asleep like one happy, young, amazing parents. Gregor went upstairs to give them some cookies after eavesdropping them, but with his old bones can't walk that fast anymore, he decided to keep the cookies in the jar and give it to them tomorrow morning. _Although they are not my grandchildren, and so am I not their grandfather, it seems my bond with them are naturally tighten._ He thought to himself while watching the Frog and the Bunny slowly hugged each other in one thick blanket and smooth purrs vividly heard between them. _What a time to be alive, to see the Hare slowly healed by the Frog, to see that youngsters can be so romantic as I am to Carrie._

 _They resemble the younger-self of Carrie and me._ _Wish you could see these kids, Carrie. You always love to make kids happy within your warm arms and gave them the warmth of an angel._ He recalled as he shut the door slowly and went to bed on the sofa. _You'll always be my finest and dearest battle medic and field commander, Carrie._ He said as he smiled indirectly towards the Bunny and the Frog.


	5. Restarting the Game II

It is quite strange to see Maine in November in all of the sudden change the weather to a dazzling, cheerful, sunny day. They wondered what happened to the snow last night, and yet there's no scientist able to describe this kind of natural phenomenon. How can Maine in November suddenly becoming Summer? The Frog and the Bunny did not care about what's happened; they only care for themselves.

Hana grabbed Lucio firmly and land a sullen on her face after showing her dented PC case and liquid leaks. "Look! My PC!"

Lucio raised an eyebrow. "That's bad. Man, what if I tell you Vaughan is one big asshole?"

Hana nodded like a little girl. "He is! He is a jerk," then said. "Sad face."

Gramps Gregor opened the door. "Set aside your problems with him, kids. Let's have breakfast together; I made something special."

Hana smiled. "Okay, Gramps!"

It is a delicate moment for me to see such children loving each other like there's no tomorrow. As soon as they take a seat on Lucio's old dining table, I could see that Hana resembles First Sergeant Carrie Cosworth, once a beauty, once a badass, British-American by birth, Viking by way of life. The way they eat, the way they enjoy their life, seems no different than mine back in the day. Maine is one strange city when it comes to weather. The Gods themselves appears to control the weather by how we express ourselves by emotions; at least that's what I've experienced with Carrie. One time we got angry or having romantic "shoulder to cry on" sessions at each other, in all of the sudden, it becomes rainy. When I lost her, it's all snowy. This city has been snowing since I lost her to a brain tumour. I have no knowledge that God loves this place so much.

Hana gave a brief look and asked. "Gramps, where's your breakfast?"

I looked at her, smiling. "I have eaten my breakfast before you guys waking up."

Hana raised her eyebrows. "But you gotta eat, Gramps," she is worried. "You are old, and you need intense nurturing."

"Baby, it's alright. No need to worry about him." Lucio said while telling his Bunny to sit down on her chair. "You didn't even touch your breakfast, you know?"

"But... Lucio?!"

I meddled with Hana's worry. "Just sit down and enjoy the day, dear," I added and smiled. "I have eaten my breakfast several hours before you wake up."

"See? Gramps Gregor told the truth." Lucio said, acting like a younger brother to Hana; although come to think that he is older than Hana's age.

"Fine!"

It is indeed an awkward moment for me to say that Hana _is_ a resemblance of Carrie. She doesn't care if she didn't eat, at least she knows that I already have eaten either my breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Carrie was such a woman, back in the day. She never let me missed my breakfast, dinner, or even lunch because of my duty as an aerospace engineer and a former Airborne troop with a side of playing blues and jazz here and there. Even though we just met yesterday, with Lucio providing me with Hana's information beforehand, I knew that Hana Song, a hardcore gamer from South Korea, really cares about her elders. After that pleasant breakfast with Lucio and Hana, we went back to the bedroom.

Lucio asked me. "Gramps, what do you think about this PC's damage? Is it repairable?"

I answered him while inspecting the damage. "Of course it's repairable if you don't spill any of that liquid cooling parts onto your internals."

"The liquid cooler is spilling everywhere," Hana replied. "So, it's not repairable."

With regrets and condolences to Hana's gaming rig, I said. "Very well, then. I couldn't help you much," I spotted that the internal HDD and SSD is safe. "Nevertheless, if you could extract the HDD and the SSD carefully..."

"What about it?"

I crouched and pointed to my old PC. "You're not losing everything. You can install it on my computer over the desk there."

Hana said. "Gramps, don't you know every PC has its HDD or SSD inside it?"

I smiled. "I never installed the HDD or SSD thing on my PC."

Hana frowned in confusion. " _What_?"


	6. Hare's Oldies Remedy

Shocked by the truth that Gramps Gregor threw at her, she went to inspect the PC and found that there is no hard disk drive or any solid state drive inside the PC Tower. Hana is confused whether she should believe the Gramps' words or shrugged. So Hana did both things, trusting what Gregor said and shrugged. Lucio sat down beside her as she tries to heat up Gramps' old PC, most of it covered in dust. The PC itself took a long time to boot up, to not waste any time, Hana helped the old man extracting her HDD and SSD to make sure it's all fine and running.

"You think it'll work, Gramps?" Hana said hesitantly.

Gramps winked. "Believe me; you'll be mesmerised by what I did." Gramps finally extracted the Hard Drive and the SSD. "Well, here you go, little Hana. Go give it a try on my PC."

"Fingers crossed," Hana said, installing the Hard Drive and the SSD carefully into Gramps' PC. Gramps could only put his hands between the armpits, waiting for any results; as soon as the computer booted up and began detecting any Hard Drive or SSD available.

 _It worked. It fucking worked._ Hana said to herself, trying not to let out any teardrops, even if that's teardrop of joy.

Gramps smiled. "I know your PC tower dented, but not all of it destroyed. Vaughan certainly has no strength to destroy whatever you hold dear."

Hana hugged the old man. "Thanks a lot, Gramps. I was hesitant to trust you in the first place, but now..."

"Now what, my dear?" Gramps said and smiled. "Ah, I see, you need a brand new PC, is it not?"

"Kinda," Hana lifted her shoulders. "I don't know if I can rebuild my PC or just buy a bunch of new gears."

Lucio advised. "Let's save money from now, how's that?"

Hana's eyes widened. "To buy the latest equipment? Hell yeah."

So, Hana hesitantly took a job as a waiter in Auntie Caitlyn's Dine 'n' Go. Auntie Caitlyn mainly serves coffee and snacks, but in some cases, she also sells many breakfast combo or even a filling dinner. Auntie Cait is one of the most pleasant places to eat by the locals; friendly atmosphere, homemade foods, and the original recipe were never changed from its debut fifty or sixty years ago. Auntie Cait also loves lovely girls such as Hana, but yeah, you know the drill... Hana isn't kind enough around the elderly, especially the bad ones.

 _Over the hill love is one of her weaknesses._

"Hello! Welcome to Auntie Cait's Dine 'n' Go, may I take your order, please?" Hana greeted a lovely elderly couple.

"What a polite young girl, I'll take a mug of black coffee and a cup of tea." Said Grandpa Fred. "What do you want, my dearest wife?"

"Young girl, may I have a bowl of soup and a custard pie?"

"Alright!" Hana wrote on the bill note. "Is there anything you'd like to order?"

"No, that'd suffice." Grandma Paula smiled at Hana.

She runs back to her post and hangs the order note on the windowpane. "Mama Cait, one black coffee, one tea, a bowl of soup, and a custard pie!"

"Cavalry comin' through!" Auntie Cait ran from the kitchen and immediately serve the order to the McDane's. "Here you go, my beloved McDane's, have a pleasant day!" She greeted them briefly and runs back to the kitchen, tending to her stove, as per usual.

 _What is this grandmama smokin' on? I hang the order, she comes out finishes the whole thing._ _Wish I could work as fast as her, though._ Hana thought from the deepest part of her heart, knowing that ageing like Auntie Cait is one of her blessings as she watches Auntie Cait serves her customers nicely and fast, then go back to cook in no time.


	7. In Between Shifts I

Later that evening, the sun is setting, and people are getting back home as soon as they can; knowing that the day almost ends. Hana invited me to have a chat with Auntie Cait who runs the shop with her only daughter, Rhiannon. The bad thing is, Rhiannon and Hana must do today's chores before they even have a chance to talk with Auntie Cait and me.

Auntie Cait smiled and asked. "Tell me, Lucio, why you chose Hana at first?" She sipped her coffee. "And I assume you have several romantic problems with her."

I frowned while eating Auntie's PBJ. "Well, she's cute and all; she likes to play games and hang out with me, she even loves my music. That's what I know from her." I added. "She is also an independent woman, no need to hold her hands when she's all alone."

Auntie tapped my shoulder. "Why you an excellent lad." She smiled. "I'm sure she's going to like it here, Lucio. Anyway, speaking of occupation, what is your side job besides creating music?"

I said. "Well, recently I took a job at carpentry as a wood sculptor. I have an interest in carpentry and such."

Auntie raised her eyebrows. "I can't believe you, young man. How come a musician loves to sculpt woods?"

"An entertainer like me needs another skill to continue living, not only one but many," I said with full respect. "I can't stand one job in my life, so I took another skill, one of them are carpentering, as my side job to sustain and to save some of my money."

"What a noble cause, Lucio." Auntie Cait applauds and appreciated what I do for a living.

"Why, thanks, Auntie." I smiled at her. "About our relationship problems, it's already resolved. I hope to not looking forward to it."

Hana and Rhiannon walked out from the kitchen all covered in sweat. "Now, we did the chores, can we rest for a while?" Hana said while she takes a seat on a barstool.

Rhiannon nodded. "Hana's right, mum. I have worked all day, no rest."

"Alright, go get some soda on the soda machine and let's have a conversation together, eh?"

"Finally!" Hana and Rhiannon get what they want. They grabbed a pair of shorter barstools and sat down in between Auntie Cait and me. Rhiannon started the conversation with a smile, a bright one. "Lucio, it's somewhat fascinating when you said that you like to sculpt wooden materials."

I said. "Well, at first I don't like it, but in the end, it's just a matter of time."

I still don't know why and how Maine could be so sunny in November. It's not even summer. We spend a lot of time talking about things back and forth, having a good laugh and a warm cup of either coffee or tea. For four of us, it was a pleasant evening, and even on this very sunny day, the cold and bitterness of this place still haunting those who can't enjoy every minute of this hot season. Maybe Grandpa Gregor is right, the Ancient Gods or the Almighty put a lot of His feelings to those who He cares, not only Grandpa and me - but those who enjoy life for what it is and for what it's worth.

For Hana, Maine in November could be the best month ever.

 _Or so she thought._


	8. She's Out Back Counting Stars

Under the streetlights of Maine, we walked, under cover of winter, we cuddled. It's always been an amazing experience to go out and date Hana; she does everything that out of the box. Gramps Gregor opened the door for us.

"You're back! How's your job?" Gramps asked us.

Hana let out a sigh. "It was fun, Gramps. Especially for me, Auntie Cait works faster than a rabbit."

Gramps recalled his experience with Auntie Cait. "Caitlyn? Yeah, she does work faster than most of us do, even when in her younger days she could serve three people at once then go back to cooking the dishes. The girl is such a workaholic." Then, he asked me. "How's your sculpting going, Lucio?"

"Matter of fact, I just got promoted and received 15% more payment," I said and handing over my paycheck to Gramps. "I give you $75 of my $250 from the paycheck to support your life," I said while giving him the money. "I owe you a lot, Gramps and you're old too. There's no way Hana and I neglected our beloved grandpa." I said while hugging him.

"You are a lovely young man, Lucio. I thank you." He smiled and opened the door for us.

Under the black veil of the galaxy, they roamed the woods behind Gramps' house. It was and is their most delicate moments, with a neighbour singing a blues song and not so many cars passing by their grandpa's house, it seems the night couldn't be more peaceful. Upon their arrival, they saw a significant woodland clearing, housing many flocks of birds and torch bugs, in the middle of the Clearing stood an ancient stone statue resembling someone's eternal love in the ancient times. Lucio even commented that the ancients know how to maintain a long lasting love. The black veil of the galaxy soon gets brighter with a big, white pimple and different sizes of freckles surrounding it. Several smooth scars began to appear, and the veil brushed in many different colours. White, Purple, Yellow Gold, anything. They know that they're looking at the Milky Way - their galaxy, their biggest guardian. They sat near the pond that houses different types of fish as if they're living in one massive apartment complex, made of water and microorganism that serves as their food.

Lucio grabbed Hana's hands. "You don't know about this, do you?"

Hana raised her eyebrows. "Well, of course, I don't know this place... until now," she lands a radiant smile. "Thanks to you, now I know this place, and thanks for bringing me here."

"Sure, Hana," Lucio said while hugging her. "I know you'll like this."

"Tonight couldn't get any better, right?"

They stood up and went farther than most of the people do, they discovered a huge cave entrance and a flowing water could be heard nearby. They know this place once served as the Waterfall of the Ancients, thanks to Gregor Harrington's Guide to Ancient Maine. They entered the cave and start a campfire, the cave itself serves as their natural campsite, the pond seems to connect with the flowing water, many fish rarely swim around here, but there were enough fish for them for tonight's dinner. The clearing they saw before is getting bigger and bigger. Lucio didn't know much about this place, but he quite enjoyed his romantic moments with Hana there.

Gramps crept up on them, without them noticing him. "What are you kids doing here?"

Hana shocked and jumped to Lucio's shoulder. "Gramps! Don't you scare us like that!"

Gramps chuckled. "Heh. It seems the History repeated itself."

Tell us.

Tell us something about that History.

Tell us the truth about Maine.


	9. A Letter to Hana

Dragging himself back to the reality, he saw the shattered window shining the small daggers made of glass. The book "Journey of the Hearse Without A Name" began to swirl around his head. Learning that the Hearse is his memories, his past with Hana; "Journey of the Hearse Without A Name" is a book that contains many mood swings and the book that connects with him quickly and sharply enough to make him weeping of his ex-girlfriend Hana. It is only a matter of time until he finds another part of his life, but so far only Hana can make him feel better every day. He couldn't forget everything he did with Hana, from visiting the Forest to hanging out with Auntie Cait, is all memorably painful.

Lucio puts the book back on the shelf and sees it gathering puddles of dust as the time passed by his age. Every man lives in this world can never beat the age of the mountains, but the mountains provide them with things that even the cold can't defeat. The glory of sitting on top of the world. "The Journey of the Hearse Without A Name" is a good book, to read your minds, to read your future, and to perceive everything beyond all human recognition. It's a messy book that will make your mood swings and question everything about what, where, and who you are in this world. No matter what you do every day.

One thing I hate from myself: the month of August and the shattered windows of an abandoned house. The amazingly hot August that made me turn on the A/C and the shattered window that hurts my hands like hell. There are a lot of feeling variants that can't Lucio bound to himself. A lot of sobbings and regret began to paint his beautiful, tanned, Brazilian face. Even though he's all tanned, but the edelweiss essence didn't fade away from his face. Shining bright and beautifully painful. The cry means a lot to him after Hana cheated on him with someone that lives in a higher position than him now. The Forest that once stood as their silent witness of their warmth now serves as Lucio's secret place to tell the stars how big his love to Hana, no matter the circumstances and the consequences. On his way back to the living room, he knit scarves for poor people to spend time, regardless of his popularity amongst underground and festival music scene, knitting and carpentry are two of his favourite hobbies. Just like yesterday afternoon, two years ago in the evening, and a decade ago in the morning. Hana left him alone, together with a stray cat, and threes with a grapefruit tree.

Not after four years, Hana left him. He began to write traditional letters. No matter how long the letter, at least Lucio got something to do with his stiff hand muscles. He's not good with words, but the "Journey of the Hearse Without A Name" is a reliable source of getting his literary brainstorms working.

Two more things I hate from myself: the month of August and the shattered glass of an abandoned mall. The amazingly hot August that made me drink more water than I should and the shattered glasses of an abandoned mall near my previous _favela_. On the front porch, I waited for you, no matter what season August gave me. Maine in August can be hot and cold at the same time, depends on where you live and what current mood you're feeling now. Life isn't complete when you're not around and when I need you here, and you were over there, looking at things that impossibly done without a help of another man. On the front porch, I prayed and kept praying for your health. With an old headset plugged into my earlobe and old songs about love, it seems your silent shadow is foreshadowing myself in grief, in sadness, and in longing. This feeling is no more similar than a night train. Alone and lonely with loneliness. Unattended _._

 _Wish you were here, Hana._


	10. An End to Things (?)

Many people don't know why the coffee shop still opens at 03:00 in the morning. The Lonely Lucio finds himself a new hangout place, for him and the one and only person he loved. Himself. He sat down on a stool with a cup of coffee and three glazed doughnuts. He began to stir his way back to classic rock and alternative rock music instead of upbeat, hard bass, EDM-styled music. The "Journey of the Hearse Without A Name" sure put a good use of mixing his emotions towards anything and letting him question his existence. Questioning everything he once knew. On the corner of the bar, Lucio heard an almost exact voice of Hana. He tried to resist the urge to find the source, but alas, his curiosity is more tempting than his cup of coffee. He gave a brief look and saw what he thought was Hana. _I don't remember her working in a coffee shop_. Lucio recalled. He went to the girl. Sheer curiosity beats everything, even memories.

"Hana?" Lucio greeted the girl.

She turned around and smiled. "Oh, hi there," she puts her hands on her waist. "How did you know my name, we didn't even meet before!"

Lucio scratched his head, knowing that is a very, very dumb move. "Oh, I'm sorry... I lost in thought... lost in my memories. I thought you were my ex-girlfriend for a moment."

The girl teased. "Don't you exaggerating things, cutie," she continued. "Well, I'm Hannah. Hannah Wong."

"I'm Lucio Dos Santos. Pleased to meet you." Lucio tried to do handshakes with her.

She replied. "Hi, Lucio. A pleasure to meet you too."

Lucio apologised for his bad move. "Sorry about the accidental lost in thought, there's something wrong with my mind right now."

Hannah quickly brought her pen and a small notebook; she scribbled a series of numbers, very fast. "I am working as a licensed therapist. If you can't "delete" some of the memories, call me. Maybe I'm able to help you."

Lucio asked. "Can I ask something?"

"Shoot," Hannah replied. "Let me answer your questions."

"What makes a person longing for someone's warmth and take it too seriously?"

"It's the memories, the warmth, and the feelings you had for that person. It's not as simple as that, actually, but that's what people wrote nowadays on the internet," she continued. "You don't know when to stop when you loved someone; then they became a big part of your life."

Lucio nodded. "I see. Thanks for your answer," he continued. "I ought to go back to my house; there's something I must do and finished it today. I will contact you when I have enough time. Again, thank you."

"You're welcome, Lucio." Hannah ends the conversation as Lucio walks out from the coffee shop.

 _Liam, how I miss you so much._ Said Hannah to herself as she observed Lucio from afar.


End file.
